How to Deliver a Graduation Speech: 5 Tips for Your 2017 Graduation

Examples of Graduation Speeches Video that will Inspire You

1. This guy has great eye contact and delivery! Notice how comfortable and confident he is while giving his speech?

2. Well-rehearsed, he knows everything by heart. Reflects on experiences.

3. You can feel that he’s sincere and invested in what he is saying.

Having the task to give a speech at your graduation can be an intimidating task. With some preparation and a few tips however you’ll be able to deliver an amazing impactful graduation speech. As the last bit of knowledge and inspiration your peers will be receiving from the institution before departing it’s your duty to take this task seriously. Make your speech meaningful and inspire your fellow graduates before they embark on the next journey! Here are tips to having an exceptional ceremony speech.

Writing Your Graduation Speech

1. Reflect and Brainstorm

Any good speech requires some brainstorming first. It’s important to get all of your ideas out there in order to make sure the very best is selected. Likewise, it’s equally important to reflect on your experience that has led up to graduation in order to truly reflect the journey you and your peers have gone on. When brainstorming there are no silly ideas! Write everything down, an idea you may not like might inspire the perfect one. When you reflect on your experiences leading to this point think about the beginning, middle and end of it. How have you changed? How have you and your peers grown together?

2. Don’t Ramble, Have a Theme

You need a theme for your speech. It doesn’t matter if its broad or specific but you need something to be the focal point for your speech. Without a theme it can sound like disjointed stories or rambling. Some common themes used include but aren’t limited to: overcoming adversity, becoming more mature, new beginnings, learning life lessons and becoming individuals. Make sure your theme connects throughout your speech but really hammers home in the conclusion. Also when picking a theme make sure it’s something that resonates with you that you believe in.

Delivering Your Speech

1. Speak Slowly

It’s important when public speaking to speak slowly and clearly. It’s natural when we’re nervous to try to speak quickly. Being in front of a huge crowd gets most people’s adrenaline going and causing everything to feel more urgent than it is. To engage with your audience, you need to speak normally, calmly and clearly to make sure everything said is understood easily. Record yourself reading your speech slowly and play it back afterwards. How did it sound? Adjust your speed based on what sounds clearest and then rehearse in front of friends and family.

2. Good Eye Contact - Memorize Your Speech

To make sure your audience hears you clearly and feels engaged with you is to maintain good eye contact with them. If you’ve ever sat through a presentation where someone’s speaking while their face is buried in their notes you know everything sounds mumbled and unclear. The lack of eye contact also subconsciously will make your audience feel like you aren’t present or speaking to them even. Practice your speech until you know it by heart. Then make short dot points on note cards and practice using them as prompts. This will free you up to provide good eye contact with your audience but also provide you with a safety net if you get nervous or stuck.

3. Be Confident and Sincere, Mess-ups Are Okay!

Being confident and sincere are the real secrets to giving the best speech possible. If you’re giving a speech, it’s to say something and presumably you want your audience to take what you’re saying on board. If you want people to listen to you they need to believe in you. By being confident in yourself you will inspire others to have confidence in you and hence listen to what you have to say. You can’t fake being sincere, make sure that you believe in what you say. If your audience believes you are sincere they will trust you and take more stock in what you have to say.

Graduations are the last chance for everyone to celebrate and reflect together before venturing off into the world. It’s also the last opportunity to impart advice to the graduating class before they have to face new challenges. Make it count, make it memorable, inspiring and something your peers can take with them through the obstacles ahead to achieve great things in the future.